The rubberwood muddler in two lines
This is the muddler in its traditional wooden form, 19cm long. It is used for the muddled family of cocktails, from the Mojito to the Caipirinha, and it is the gentlest of the materials in use.
Who it is for
For bars that go through a lot of mint and bars with thin glassware. Those are the two cases where wood beats everything else: it presses without tearing the leaves, and it does not risk chipping the bottom of a glass the way a quarter-kilo steel muddler does.
Rubberwood, and why it is used
It is the wood of the rubber tree, recovered at the end of the tree’s productive life, when it stops yielding latex: that is why it counts as a reused material, and why it costs little despite being a hardwood. It has a close, even grain, which is what a tool in constant contact with liquids needs: fewer pores mean less absorption and less residue held. A rubberwood muddler is a practical choice before it is an aesthetic one.
Specifications
- Material: rubberwood
- Length: 19cm
- Weight: 0.1kg
- Use: muddled cocktails, from the Mojito to the Caipirinha
- Dishwasher safe: no, hand wash only
With mint, wood wins
Mint needs waking up, not beating: press once or twice, gently, just enough to release the essential oils from the surface of the leaf. A torn leaf releases chlorophyll, and chlorophyll brings bitterness and a dull green you can see in the glass. A smooth wooden head presses without tearing, which is why many bartenders keep a rubberwood muddler next to a toothed one and use the first on mint, the second on lime and sugar.
How to wash it, the one thing to watch
By hand, in lukewarm water, and dried straight away standing upright. Keep it out of soaking water and out of the dishwasher, so the wood stays closed and tight. Looked after this way it lasts for years. It is the trade-off of the material, and worth knowing before rather than after.
19cm, for which glasses
For tumblers, old fashioned glasses and short highballs. In a tall Mojito glass the length only just reaches and the hand ends up close to the rim: for muddled drinks in deep vessels, choose a 30 or 35cm muddler. The rule holds for every muddler: look at the bottom of your tallest glass and choose accordingly.
How to tell when it needs replacing
By the surface of the head. As long as it stays smooth and compact, the muddler works; when it starts to lift into fibres, darken in patches or hold a smell even after washing, it has absorbed more than it can give back and should be changed. On a rubberwood muddler dried after every use, that moment comes after years.
FAQ
How long is the rubberwood muddler? 19cm, the size for tumblers and short highballs.
Is it dishwasher safe? No, it is wood: hand wash and dry straight away.
Why wood for mint? It presses without tearing the leaf, and a torn leaf turns bitter.
Will it break the glass? Far less likely than a heavy steel muddler.
The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.
Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.
The muddlers are compared in the muddler guide.
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